Book review: Dead Rock Stars by Guy Mankowski
Emma Imrie leaves behind her home on the Isle of Wight and a difficult relationship with her mother to become a rock star with her Nineties Riot grrrl band on the Camden music scene. When she dies of a drug overdose, her younger brother, Jeff, is left alone to deal with his grief.
With a copy of Emma’s diary, he spends the summer getting to know his sister again and trying to understand what led to her death.
This novel is the latest from author Guy Mankowski, himself a former musician and front man in the band Alba Nova. It explores the insecurities of youth and the dark paths they can lead us down.
Much of the story is told through the pages of Emma’s diary, left behind after her death. It reveals her anxieties over her life, relationships and her future as a musician. The book explores in detail what it’s like for Emma to begin to build her career, fighting to create the right image and connect to audiences, all the while conscious of the image she projects and what others on the music scene think of her. Emma’s struggle to capture her passions and turn them into something tangible is brilliantly captured. The scenes that feature her performances, as well as writing and recording new material, are at the heart of the book and have a powerful emotional core. The author’s experience as a musician comes across clearly in these moments, as he gets to the heart of how it feels to go up on stage and pour yourself into your performance, creating a memorable, iconic experience for a room full of strangers.
After his sister’s death, Jeff stays with friends in their rambling house on the Isle of Wight. There is a coming-of-age element to his story, as he deals with his grief while also trying to find his own place in the world. Some of Emma’s struggles to find an authentic identity and build relationships are mirrored in Jeff, as he forms a tentative relationship with his friend River’s sister, Ruth.
Although it deals with tragedy and the dark side of life in London’s music scene, this book often feels like a love letter to a creative self, to a moment in time and a movement that captured the imagination of music fans. It’s great to read a story that follows a female musician and Emma’s descriptions of her life are often raw, laying bear her flaws and anxieties.
This book will appeal to readers with a passion for live music, especially if they’ve also been on their own journey in pursuit of an artistic identity.
Find out more
Dead Rock Stars on Amazon and Goodreads.
N.B. Thanks to the author for sending an e-copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own.